Secrets From The Past
by BluPiratePuppies
Summary: Long ago, a young woman left Konoha with more secrets than anyone could imagine. Fifteen years later, her past has finally caught up with her in the form of the man she once loved. Who is this mysterious Jounin? Now is the time to find out. KakashiOC
1. A Stranger in the Trees

The thick, brown hair of the Special Jounin ninja did not move as she crouched among the leaves of the tree. Her mask matched the color of her hair, and covered half of her face. Her left eye was covered by the head protector tied around the width of her head. Her other eye, which glared critically at the people below her, was a deep chestnut brown.

The head protector, a sheet of steel fastened to a thick, mud brown cloth, bore a symbol that was unknown to the ninja of the area. The symbol consisted of three leaves forming a circular pattern, carved into the steel seemingly without flaw. As stated previously, the symbol had never been seen before by any ninja in the surrounding region, and therefore made the ninja bearing the symbol unknown.

The Jounin's eyes scanned the scene bellow her, where there were six people fighting. The one that caught her attention the most was an older one, with silver hair and a mask, like her. But this one was a man, and he bore the symbol of the village of Konoha on his head protector. He also wore the customary outfit of a Jounin ninja.

The next two she analyzed were older, tougher men. They had masks on as well, but different from her own, and their head protectors displayed the symbol of the Country Of Sand. One was taller, with thick muscles and a burly appearance. He wore a thin shirt with the sleeves torn off, and even if the mask had not been there, anyone could tell that he was evil, and enjoying himself. The other man of the Sand was shorter and stockier, but he moved with the lightening fast speed of a trained ninja. He had a scar on his right arm that resembled the Sand's symbol, but slightly different in stylization.

The final three in the clearing also showed the Konoha symbol on their head protectors, but they were much younger, each of them only twelve to thirteen years old. Two of them were boys, one with black hair and a black outfit, with pale skin, and dark eyes. The other had yellow hair in spikes, wearing an orange jumpsuit and the standard blue footwear. His eyes were a bright blue, and he had lines on his face that almost resembled whiskers. The third child was a girl with short, pink hair and deep turquoise eyes. She wore a red dress with white markings, and seemed a bit frightened, but experienced all the same.

Once she had finished her examination of the people, the Special Jounin continued to watch the events run their course. She desperately wanted to leap in and help, but all her years of training proved that she would be killed if she did. She could tell immediately that the men of the Sand would most likely win, and she was proved correct.

First, they went after the silver haired Jounin, their shuriken flying and kunai slashing. The Jounin put up a good fight, but he was forcing his subordinates to stay back, and he was soon overpowered. Despite the fact that he had been using his Sharingan, he was no match for the two experienced Sand ninjas, and soon he was on the ground. He screamed at his students to run, and the brown haired Special Jounin watched from her place in the trees as the three Chuunins scattered.

Two of them, the black haired boy and the girl, fled in one direction, into the distance. The other, with the yellow hair, disappeared into the bushes below and to the right of the brown haired ninja. After glancing at where the orange clothed ninja had vanished, the Special Jounin returned her gaze to the silver haired man. Her eyes filled with hate and despair as she helplessly 

watched the men of the Sand beat the Jounin again and again. It was obvious that they wanted to torment him, and probably kill him, but slowly.

At one point, one of the Sand men cruelly whacked the silver haired man's leg, and he screamed in agony. The Special Jounin bit her tongue to keep herself in check, her eyes watering in despair for the Konoha Jounin. She knew that for now she was powerless, but reminded herself that as soon as the men of the Sand left, she would help the man. As a trained healer, it was her natural instinct to help the wounded, but this was no ordinary man. She knew him, from fifteen years ago.

The men of the Sand continued to beat the silver haired Jounin tirelessly, and when it seemed they wouldn't stop until he was dead, they finally ceased. By now the man from Konoha had become unconscious, but the men of the Sand thought he was dead. His left arm and leg were lying at unnatural angles, and he was bleeding from several wounds. A small, steel shuriken was lodged in his right thigh, and it was obvious that he was in a very bad state.

Once she was sure that the men had left, the brown haired woman prepared to come to the aid of the man, but she was stopped by the sound of scrambling in the bushes to her right. The yellow haired Chuunin burst forth, and ran to the fallen man's side.

"Kakashi-sensei! Why?!" The boy screamed. It was then that the Special Jounin ninja slipped down from her spot on the branch and came silently to the man's side. The yellow haired boy did not notice her presence until she was directly opposite from him. Her visible right eye was closed in concentration, and she had the index and middle fingers of her right hand resting on the Jounin's rib cage.

"Who are you? What are you doing to Sensei?" The boy growled, obviously distraught and protective of his teacher. He knew that if this person wished to harm Kakashi, he would kill her.

"My name is Bokujin Geshi. I am here to help you and Kakashi-sensei. Do not worry." The woman said. Once she finished her explanation, she stood up and formed a seal with her hands that was familiar to the boy.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" She hissed, forming a '+' with the first two fingers on both of her hands. With slight 'poofs,' four shadow clones of the woman appeared, two of them carrying a stretcher between them. They knelt down next to the silver haired man known as Hatake Kakashi, and proceeded to gently move him onto the stretcher. Meanwhile, the original Geshi had put her index and little finger in her mouth, and made a sharp, shrill whistle.

As the Chuunin known as Uzumaki Naruto watched in fascination, two dogs appeared, running towards them. They were coming towards Geshi in the way any normal dog would approach their master, but their appearance was anything _but_ normal. One was a blood redish-brown color with copper and white trim, and reddish spots inside it's white blaze. The other was a blue-ish gray with black spots, with the same copper and white trim, but it had blue eyes.

"Taikai! Kashou!" The Special Jounin called. In turn, both dogs received a stroke of praise from their owner, then moved to walk on each side of the stretcher carrying Hatake Kakashi. Suddenly his hand slipped from the stretcher, and the shift in balance made the stretcher tilt, but before Naruto could even twitch, Taikai had slipped his head underneath Kakashi's hand and returned it to rest beside him on the stretcher.

"Come with me. We are going to my temporary hospital." Geshi told Naruto as she began to lead the way through the sparse trees to some unknown destination, her clones following carefully while carrying Kakashi. At first the Chuunin was unsure as to trusting this strange woman, but when she started to move out of his frame of vision, he realized he would at least have to come with her to be sure Kakashi-sensei would be okay. With grim determination, he set out after this strange brown haired woman.

_Disclaimer: BluPiratePuppies does not own Naruto in any way shape or form. If she did, Itachi would already be dead and Naruto would be done obsessing over Sakura. This story was originally thought of and created by me. Also note: I apologize for any Japanese that got killed. I just used a translator. _


	2. Dreaming Of Times Passed

Hatake Kakashi felt pain in this black void. Where was he? What was this strange place where there was nothing to see, but so much pain? For a brief moment, he regained consciousness, and opened his eyes. What he saw shocked him. '_Bokujin Geshi…_' The name trailed through his weakened mind for a second before a wave of dizziness washed over him, and he returned to the black void of unconsciousness.

Kakashi opened his eyes, but he knew immediately that he was not in the real world. How could he tell? The things he saw in front of him were from twenty-two years in the past. He saw himself, much younger, as a rookie Jounin. He was standing in front of three kids, each ten years old, and each one his subordinate.

The first was a tall boy with brown eyes and black hair, lean but sturdy, and one of the top students at the Ninja Academy. The second was a smaller, thicker boy with pale blue eyes and dirty blond hair, accenting his lightly tanned skin. The final child was a medium height, strong, and tough looking girl with brown eyes and matching brown hair, and she was considered the number one at the Academy, despite her tough appearance.

"Hello, kids. I am Kakashi-sensei, and today I will be testing you to see if you are Genin material." The silver-haired man said, smiling beneath his mask. The one eye that was visible beneath his mask and head protector showed that he was generally happy, and pleased to have such nice students. "So, what are your names? Come on, don't be shy." Kakashi asked warmly. If he was going to teach this kids, he thought he'd better start on a good note.

"I'm Sunapu Pachi." The shorter boy said. He had a chubby face, which showed he hadn't quite lost his child pudge yet. He seemed to have a tick, like one of those unconscious movements that involved snapping his fingers at random moments.

"I am Tensai Centuro." The taller one said, his dark brown eyes revealing nothing. Yet despite his cold looks, Kakashi knew that he was soft at heart and made friends easily. He seemed a bit stiff and uncomfortable, but of course, what student wouldn't if they were being trained by Konoha's current youngest Jounin?

"And I am Bokujin Geshi." The girl said with an air of superiority. From the start, Kakashi could tell that she would be a strong, compassionate ninja, a bit like himself. She stood with a certain posture that simply screamed confidence, and it was obvious that she could stand up to almost anything. He made a mental note that she was probably sensitive, and that something had most likely happened to her family when she was younger.

"Excellent." Kakashi said, still smiling. "Now as you know, before I can accept you as my students, you must pass a test. You see these bells?" The silver-haired Jounin asked, holding up two silver bells. "You have to be able to take them from me by noon. If you can't, you won't be able to eat lunch, and instead you will be tied to one of these posts. As you may have noticed, there are only two bells, and three of you. Whoever cannot get a bell will be tied to the post while their friends eat." He continued, indicating the three wooden posts in the ground.

"Ha! This will be as easy as pie! I'm surprised you couldn't come up with something harder!" Geshi said, laughing with a devious smirk on her face. Twenty minutes later, she was hanging upside-down from the tall elm tree in the training area, glowering with the dirtiest of looks, while Centuro smiled with mock innocence as he proudly jingled his bell. That meant only she and Pachi were left, and only one of them could get the last bell…

With the sun high overhead, Geshi was hungrily scarffing down her hard-earned meal while Pachi sulked on the post. She knew that Kakashi-sensei had said not to feed him, but it would be 

impossible to get anything done if he was starving. After exchanging a glance with Centuro, Geshi offered Pachi one of her Sushi rolls, which he gulped down eagerly. Next Centuro gave Pachi a rice puff, which was also diminished in seconds.

"You have disobeyed my orders! Are you prepared to face the consequences?!" Kakashi thundered, appearing out of nowhere. He had a deadly serious look on his young face, and even though he was far below the age of a regular Jounin, he had been the top competitor in the exams. He smiled inwardly as he saw the young kids cowering, although Geshi was showing a hint of defiance beneath her shocked expression. "Well then, I guess I have to say… You pass." Kakashi said, smiling.

"WHAT?! But… We disobeyed your orders!" Pachi shouted, obviously upset at the sudden change in events. He had been expecting to never be accepted, and having to be forced to find a new teacher. The dumbfounded expression on Centuro's face showed his confusion, but Geshi was smiling and giggling.

"I knew you were faking it! It was so obvious with that tiny little foot twitch! You were soooo obvious!" She said, now unable to control herself from laughter, while her two other squad members stared at her. Kakashi, however, was not smiling anymore. He was pleased with his students for passing, but Geshi's perception had been uncanny. He had never met anyone with such a sharp eye. In fact, the only person he knew, besides her, who could detect things that well was him, due to his sharingan. He made a mental note to keep a closer eye on her, to find out how in the world she had such incredible perceptibility.

The dream shifted. A year had passed, and they were in the middle of a bad fight. They had been sent into the Country of Sand as a C-rank mission, only to discover that they had been tricked into 

an A-rank. Kakashi glared hatefully through the swirling sand prison that he had been caught in, his sharingan glinting dangerously. However, he could do nothing but shout encouragement as his students faced off to the remaining Sand ninja. There had been two of them, one of which Kakashi had killed, but he had been too distracted to notice the first ninja's sand clone before it was too late.

As he watched helplessly, the Sand ninja withdrew a shuriken, and threw. Time slowed down before his eyes as the scene unfolded in front of Kakashi.

"Centuro! Get down!" He screamed, but it was too late. With a gargled cry, the tall eleven-year-old fell to the ground, his throat slashed. Pachi screamed in anguish, and Geshi rushed to the side of her fallen team mate.

"Centuro! Noooo!" She wailed, crying over his body. Her mourning was interrupted by a strangled moan and a loud _fwump_ as the heavy body of Pachi hit the ground, a kunai firmly lodged in his spine. Geshi stood up, a wild and terrified look in her eyes as she stared at the evil Sand ninja, tears streaming down her face.

"GESHI! RUN! RUN!" Kakashi screamed, horrified that his students had been destroyed, but desperate to see just one live… His eyes were huge as he watched in fear, begging the spirits to allow Geshi to be safe. He was thankful when he saw her running at full speed through the trees, but what he saw next made his blood run cold. The Sand ninja was pulling out another shuriken, an evil smirk on his face, as he drew back, and threw.

"Nooo!" Kakashi screamed as he saw Geshi fall to her knees with a cry of pain. But wait, she was getting up. Could it be true? Was she really okay? Then he knew, when she turned around, that the Sand ninja would die. The look in her eyes was murderous and full of hate, and Kakashi watched in fascination 

as she yanked the shuriken from her shoulder, and formed the seals with her shaking hands, still clutching the bloody weapon.

"Kage-bunshin no jutsu!" Geshi snarled. The man of the Sand wasn't smiling any more. Now he was glaring at her evilly. Kakashi's eyes opened wide with shock as first two, then five, then over a hundred clones of his student materialized, all clutching a shuriken. They surrounded the ninja, who was looking a bit fearful by now.

"Die, you bastard!" Geshi screamed, her lip curled back in a nasty snarl that was almost inhuman. Simultaneously, the shuriken flew straight and true at point blank range. There was one shout, then silence. "Cancel." Geshi murmured, her eyes closed, and the clones poofed away. Kakashi stared in fascination and slight horror at the bloody mass of shuriken that was all that remained of the Sand ninja. He shifted his gaze to his brown-haired subordinate, gaping slightly. He'd had no idea that she was that strong, or that skilled. He had never seen her use that technique before, and it surprised him that someone her age could complete a jutsu of that level.

When he noticed that he was no longer imprisoned in the sand, Kakashi stood up, still staring. He saw that Geshi was crying angry tears, and his look softened. "Geshi…" he called gently, hoping to comfort her. She turned slowly, her eyes squeezed tightly shut from the pain of loss. Then, slowly at first, then breaking into a run, she rushed at him, and threw her arms around him in a big hug, trembling violently.

"Why did they have to die, Sensei? Why?" She whispered, her voice cracking. Kakashi had been taken aback by her sudden movement, but his eyes filled with sadness to hear her pain, and he struggled to find words of comfort or kindness.

"I don't know, Geshi. I really don't know." He said, his face set with a grim but saddened expression as he looked down at his student and hugged her back. At that moment, he felt something warm and sticky, and pulled his hand away to find it had fresh blood on it. He looked closely at the brave Genin, and suddenly remembered the shuriken. "Geshi, you are hurt. I don't know how you managed not to be fatally wounded by that shuriken, but we need to get you some help." He said firmly. No matter how sad she was, if she was going to live, she needed immediate medical attention.

"I tripped. When I was running my foot got caught in a tree root and I tripped. The shuriken landed in the hollow of my shoulder." She whispered, still shaking from the shock of the incident. Then she nodded solemnly, and looked up into the concerned face of her mentor. Slowly, she began walking, and she and her teacher began walking towards the nearest town outside of the Country of Sand.

The dream shifted again. A month had passed. I was a bright but cloudy day in the village of Konoha. Geshi's right index finger was firing blue sparks of Chakra as she carved the names of her friends into the KIA stone. All around her, a crowd of people was gathered, all wearing black. At the head of the crowd, but farther back of Geshi, was Kakashi, his head bowed in sadness. All through the funeral, he couldn't keep the incident from replaying in his mind, the dead bodies of Pachi and Centuro haunting him.

When the last symbol was carved, Geshi stepped back, the tears flowing freely from her eyes as she turned and walked away from the black stone. She came to Kakashi, and he put his arm around her in a comforting hug, then took her home. Geshi had lost her parents when she was young, and had moved into an apartment room after she graduated from the Ninja Academy.

The dream changed once again. A year had passed since the funeral for Pachi and Centuro. Kakashi was standing in a small room in front of the Fourth Hokage and a few other Jounin's, looking slightly agitated.

"Kakashi, you know that it is nearly impossible for a Genin to pass the exams with only one teammate, but no one in the entire history of Konoha has ever completed the exams alone. It would be suicidal for Geshi to go into the forest of death on her own." The Fourth was saying, his eyes closed in concentration.

"Maybe you have forgotten, sir, but may I remind you that this is the girl who mastered a Jounin level technique at the age of eleven, and destroyed an elite Sand ninja on an _A-rank_ mission single handedly! Not to mention she's the first Genin to return alive from a mission higher than C-rank!" Kakashi said icily, furious that they would consider his student incapable of completing the Chuunin exams. It hadn't been until after the mission in the Sand that Kakashi had finally realized and assessed her full potential, and once he'd done so, he knew that she was incredible.

"Fine, Kakashi. We shall enter Geshi in the Chuunin exams. But don't forget, Genins have died in this exam, and I would think you would not want to risk it with her after what happened to your other squad members. If she dies, it will be your own fault, but if she passes, I would consider her extremely talented and skilled." The Fourth said with a sigh of resignation. He was not pleased about entering a Genin with no team to help her in the Chuunin exam, but he knew how stubborn Kakashi could be, and he did have to admit that the girl seemed extremely skilled for a ninja her age.

Kakashi nodded curtly, smiling inwardly thinking '_I won!'_ as he left the office. Stepping outside the door, he saw Geshi sitting and reading a novel quietly in one of the chairs in the hallway. When she looked up, Kakashi smiled at her innocent face, then corrected himself. She wasn't as innocent as she 

looked, after all. She had seen more tragedies in her lifetime than anyone should endure, and it was still fascinating to him that she had not suffered from any severe or permanent mental trauma.

"Congratulations, Geshi. You are now officially entered in the Chuunin exams. The Fourth Hokage agreed. The first test is in one week, so I hope you're ready." He said, smiling at his young subordinate. She seemed so devious and cruel at times, but she was really as sweet as an angel once she trusted you.

"Really? They agreed? I can't believe it! This is so awesome! I'M GONNA BE A CHUUNIN!" Geshi said, at first confused, then ecstatic that she had been allowed to register for the exam alone. Her smile was huge and seemed to light up the room with her genuine delight. Suddenly she jumped up and squeezed Kakashi with a very tight hug. Kakashi smiled in return and hugged her back, proud to see the first Genin he trained enter the exams.

It was dark inside the small factory in the Country of Sound. Two years had gone by, and Geshi had come out as the number one Chuunin in the exams. After the exams, Geshi and Kakashi had become an inseparable and unstoppable team. She glared critically around the shadowy room, listening intently to the sounds inside the building. She could hear Kakashi breathing not far away, but that wasn't what she was listening for. She was straining her ears, waiting impatiently to hear the dead giveaway sound.

Then it was there. The faint _click… fwip!_ Of a door opening and a person entering. She closed her right eye, knowing from experience that she would be able to see better out of her left. Finally, she found the movement she was looking for, and leapt, landing squarely on the back of the Sound ninja. She smirked in triumph, but the look of satisfaction turned to one of shock the next moment as she felt the cold steel of a blade pressed against her throat.

"If you want to live, you won't move a single muscle." A cold voice hissed in her ear. She glared defiantly while trying to inconspicuously identify her attacker out of the corner of her eye. She had just seen a glimpse of black hair when another sound assaulted her eardrums and sent shivers down her spine. It was a sound she hated and never wanted to hear in her entire life, even though she had heard it plenty of times.

It was the sound of someone she loved screaming in pain. She whipped her head around, oblivious to the small trickle of blood now oozing from her neck. What she saw frightened her. Three men were on top of her teacher, one holding a kunai to his throat while the other two held her sensei still.

"Kakashi!" She screamed, horrified at the place she was in. After the exams, the Fourth Hokage and the council had decided that she was a _very_ special Chuunin. This was the third A-rank mission she had done in the past two months, and so far every one of them had been a success.

"If you shout or make one more move, we will dispose of your little friend over there." The cold voice hissed, rich with malice. The fearful look in Kakashi's eyes was mirrored in Geshi's. '_This is the end. I guess this is what it feels like.'_ Geshi thought in despair. Then, like a light had flicked on in her head, she had an idea. She grinned deviously and called up the locations of the items she needed in her memory.

In the blink of an eye, the man who had been threatening Geshi was unconscious, a small amount of blood trickling from his mouth. Apparently, the other ninja who had been threatening Kakashi had momentarily forgotten their prey while they stared thunderstruck at the fourteen-year-old girl who had just defeated their strongest guy.

Smirking devilishly and crouched in position, Geshi sprang forward, hurling shuriken as she flew with dead on precision. Her weapons hit their marks, and each of the three men slumped to the ground. They weren't dead, but they wouldn't be waking up for at least a day or two. Tapping Kakashi's shoulder, Geshi crouched down, her excitement quickly exhausted.

"Are you okay, Kakashi-sensei?" She asked softly, the demonic look in her eyes replaced by one of care and warmth. Geshi quickly looked him over as he sat up, her critical eyes missing nothing. When she saw that he was okay, she hugged him, thankful that he had not been hurt. When she began to pull away, he hugged her tight, and she gasped slightly, then her eyes softened, and they kissed.

"Kakashi-kun…" Geshi whispered, then trailed off. The soft look in her friend's eyes had been replaced by one of critical seriousness. "Sensei, what's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?" She asked, slightly confused. When she felt his hand brush her left cheek, she jerked slightly, still not quite sure why her teacher and friend was staring at her that way.

"Your eye…" Kakashi said, staring intently at her left eye. "That's the sharingan in your eye. How do you have the sharingan?" He asked softly, still unable to tear his gaze away from the red eye with the single black swirl in it.

"Oh, this? It's from my mother." Geshi said, blushing slightly. "My mother's father was a member of the Uchiha clan, and therefore my mother was half, with two sharingan. The one in her right eye never fully developed, and nobody knew why. But then my mother married my father, who is not an Uchiha, so I am one fourth. I inherited this eye from my mother." She said quietly, obviously not very comfortable with the subject of her family.

"So you're part Uchiha? You never mentioned your family much, so I guess it would make sense that it never came up. Well, I think it has just started developing. The sharingan is a very dangerous 

weapon, but it's also hard to control and takes up a lot of your stamina. Use it sparingly, but try to practice with it as much as you can. The more you practice, the more advanced it will become." Kakashi said, smiling softly. After a pause, he stood up, and motioned to Geshi, then they headed out of the factory and back to Konoha.

The dream shifted again, and two more years had passed. Kakashi was at her house, feasting upon chocolate cake and smiling in content. It was Geshi's 16th birthday after all, and next week she would be starting the Jounin exams. Another reason for cake was to celebrate their success on another mission.

Geshi was lounging on the worn fabric couch in her small apartment, smiling as she watched her two new 'students' playing on the floor, while enjoying her own slice of chocolate cake. These 'students' were a pair of two-month-old Australian Shepherd puppies, given to her as a gift from an old friend from the Ninja Academy. One of them, the boy, was a very dark blue merle by the name of Sora, meaning sky. The other was a pale reddish color with white who was called Hoshi, meaning star.

"Well, seeing as it's your birthday, I decided to get you a little present as good luck for the Jounin exams." Kakashi said while smiling and holding out a little wrapped box. His expression showed deep friendship, and a little more of something else, and Geshi smiled warmly as she took the box from her teacher and friend.

"Oh, Kakashi, it's beautiful!" Geshi exclaimed when she opened the tiny box and stared in awe of the small gift inside. Kakashi smiled in return and bent over to put the jewelry on Geshi. Then he asked a question, his face full of warmth, and the dream faded…

One year later. The gate leading to the outside world, no longer in Konoha. Geshi stood sobbing silently, while Kakashi also stood in front of her, tears trickling down his face without a sound. They held each other's hands, not wanting to accept the reality of what was happening.

"Geshi, you don't have to go…" Kakashi said, his voice cracking with the effort of remaining under control. He was desperate now, trying one last time to change her mind, but he knew it was hopeless.

"Kakashi-kun, I don't really want to go either, but I can't take it anymore. After that king almost died… And I just can't stand seeing you in pain. It hurts too much. I just don't think we can fully achieve our potential as Jounin together, even though I hate to say it. You never know. We may meet again sometime." Geshi said gently, trying to ease the pain of the man she loved. Though she felt no less pain – in fact, it was probably even worse for her – she desperately wanted to train harder, and every time Kakashi was hurt, she felt terrible that she couldn't do anything.

"But where will you go? What if I need to find you?" Kakashi asked pleadingly, starting to lose his resolve. He didn't want to see her go, and if it wasn't for his ties with Konoha, he would have followed her to the ends of the earth. But he couldn't.

"I don't know. It's a big world out there, and there are so many places I have yet to explore. Who knows? Maybe I'll even found my own country." Geshi said, trying to hide her tears with casual joking, but her strength was failing. She knew that if she didn't go soon, she would never leave, and then she would be miserable.

Leaning over, she hugged Kakashi tightly, then stood up. He slumped his shoulders, and his head hung in defeat. She was leaving now. He would probably never see her again, his incredible student. Slowly, Geshi turned around, re-adjusted her back pack, and started walking. In Kakashi's dream, the background and scenery began to fade, until the only thing he could see was Geshi, walking slowly into the blackness and disappearing altogether. There was nothing. For a split second, Kakashi felt a pain in his right arm, then, blackness. The dream was over.

_Yeah, extremely long chapter. Mostly because I'm weird and have to explain everything. Anyway, DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. The plot was created by me, but Kakashi belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not me._


	3. The Treatment

Uzumaki Naruto was watching the woman silently as they walked through the trees. Now that he thought about it, she looked quite similar to Kakashi-sensei. She had the same mask, and her head protector was covering the same eye. Other than the difference in symbol and cloth color, the headband was also nearly identical. Why the hell did she look so much like Kakashi?

The yellow-haired boy paused momentarily, his eyes resting on the large building he saw in front of him. It was round, with windows spaced out evenly around its perimeter. A set of heavy oak double doors marked the entrance to the concrete structure, with kanji carved into the stone above the doorway reading 'Medical Center'.

Slowly at first, still a bit wary of this strange woman, Naruto followed her into the building and down the main corridor until she turned into a separate area labeled 'Emergency Care'. She stopped in front of a solid wood door and formed some kind of password with her Chakra on a screen on the door. The door made a clicking sound and Geshi turned the handle and opened the door.

"It's best that you stay out here while I treat him. Don't be scared, I'll make him as good as new." The brown-haired shinobi told Naruto, while stepping aside so her clones and the dogs could enter the room. The boy nodded solemnly, then moved to go sit in one of the chairs lining the hallway. He watched in silence as the door swung shut behind the woman, and clicked once to initiate the lock.

Inside the small room, Geshi canceled her clones after they set down their precious cargo on the ground. She stepped over to a small sink and scrubbed her hands clean while barking (literally) instructions to Kashou. The red herding dog barked once in reply, then stood up on her 

hind legs to open a cabinet door. She sniffed a few times, then gently grasped a vile marked 'Spikenard' in her mouth and returned to all fours.

The dog gently placed the glass container on a disinfected towel. Geshi quickly wiped the slobber off the vile and proceeded to direct both dogs into their corner of the room, out of her way. She pulled open a drawer, and pulled out a hypodermic needle, piercing the rubber lid of the vile to fill the needle with the translucent liquid.

Placing the needle on the counter, Geshi opened another drawer that held medical masks, cotton swabs, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Silently she removed one of the disposable masks and fixed it to her face, and moved her headband to expose her left eye. Though she quickly returned it to normal, anyone who had been conscious in the room would have seen the sharingan in that eye.

Confidently she strode to the other side of the room and put on her scrubs uniform, which was solid white. She returned to the open drawer and grabbed a cotton swab, then soaked it in the alcohol. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes briefly to concentrate, then grabbed the needle off the counter and went to Kakashi's side. With an experienced hand, she cleaned off an area of his arm, then injected the liquid into his bloodstream. The prick from the needle must have hurt slightly, because the silver-haired shinobi groaned in his sleep, but then did not stir. The concentrated juice from the root of the Spikenard plant would leave him unconscious for the next four hours, unless an adrenaline boost was injected.

Geshi waited a few minutes to be sure the plant had taken full effect, then rolled her medical tray to her side. She expertly removed his vest and headband to be sure that she could 

fully assess his condition. There was no need to remove his mask, for he had no wounds there. There was a scratch above his right eye, and the familiar scar over his left eye was still there. Geshi clean the scratch and found it would need no padding, so she continued with her assessment.

When she reached his left arm, her expression became sadder, and she placed his index and middle fingers on the odd angle below his elbow. A blue glow was evident around her fingertips, and she closed her eyes to focus. When she felt she had accumulated enough Chakra in her fingers, she kept her eyes shut tight, and sent a powerful wave of the energy into the arm. A bright image came back to her, and her face was set in determination as she read the x-ray in her mind. It was a clean break, and would be fairly easy to set.

Placing both of her hands on either side of the break, Geshi used strings of Chakra to probe the arm, and found the break. Looking inside by using her Chakra, she could see the blue strands, and wrapped them around the bone. Tugging gently, she grinned with satisfaction as the bone slipped back into place, and she quickly formed a glue around the break. Her Chakra glowed brightly, then cooled and hardened to keep the bones from re-braking. Over time, the Chakra-glue would dissolve, and the bone would be healed.

Geshi continued to treat her former teacher for two hours, until she was fully satisfied that every injury had been treated. Aside from the broken arm, the left leg had also been severed in three separate pieces from the nasty hit it had taken earlier. When he was resting peacefully, Geshi stood up and returned her scrubs outfit, now stained with some blood, to the coat rack, and washed her hands again. She took off the mask and threw it in the recycling bin, along with the 

rubber gloves she had been wearing. She reached up to her forehead and readjusted her head protector so that it covered her left eye again.

She walked over to the door and wrote the symbols on the memory pad with her Chakra, opening the door, and stepped into the hallway. She walked down the corridor until she was standing not far away from the blue-eyed boy.

"I have finished treating him, but he will not wake up for another hour or two. He was in a very bad condition. His left leg and arm were broken, and he had several deep cuts and puncture wounds. He will not be able to walk for two weeks, and it will take him at least a month before he can start getting back to his normal self. When he wakes up, I will have to tell him all about what happened, so I need you to tell me your name and the names of those two other Chuunin who were with you. If he asks, I will bring you into the room immediately, but until then, I shall stay with him alone." Geshi said flatly. She still didn't know much about this boy, but if he was one of Kakashi-kun's students, he was obviously pretty good.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. The other two Chuunin are Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Thank you for treating Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said quietly, not really looking at the brown-haired shinobi.

"_So the black haired boy was an Uchiha? Well then, I guess I owe it to Kakashi-sensei to at least find the boy, because he is probably related to me somehow."_ Geshi thought, recalling the image of the boy in her mind. When she thought about it, she did remember seeing the Uchiha crest on his shirt. She nodded a silent 'thank-you' to the Chuunin, then returned to the room and sat with her eyes closed.

As she continued in her meditation, she felt her dogs come over and curl up beside her, but she did not move. She was erasing herself, so that the world around her became non-existent while she contemplated life. The only part of her that would remain alert would be one ear, so that she could hear when Kakashi awoke.

After what felt like an eternity of meditation later, Geshi was thrown back into reality when she heard something she had not expected. Though she knew what had happened, she refused to acknowledge it until it acknowledged her first.

"So I see that after all these years, you still meditate, Geshi." The Konoha man said. Geshi's eyes flew open, though only one was visible, and her mouth opened slightly with shock as she stared at the silver-haired jounin, who was watching her with a hint of a smile on his face. After all that he'd been through, it stunned her to see that he had managed to sit up, let alone talk.

"You always manage to surprise me, Kakashi-sensei. I didn't expect you to be able to talk for at least another half hour." She said, a calm smile touching her face. She got to her feet, signaling the dogs to stay with a hand motion, and came over to sit by the man's side, then used her critical eye to examine her patient.

"I see you've covered your left eye, but why? You have the natural ability to call upon your sharingan at will, so why is it covered?" Kakashi asked, slightly puzzled.

"I choose to keep it active at all times, but hidden. I find it to be more practical. If I need to use both eyes normally, I will uncover it and cancel the sharingan." She stated, now grinning. "I see you haven't changed much since I left, Kakashi-sensei, except for maybe growing another 

half-inch or so." Geshi continued, glad that any original tension had melted away. It had been so long since she'd seen him, it was almost as though she had forgotten what he looked like. But now that he was in front of her, all her old memories came rushing back.

"I see. So, I guess I'll just cut straight to the point. What happened after you left Konoha?" Kakashi asked, curious to know what had happened to his former student. "It's been fifteen years, hasn't it? That would make you, let's see… Thirty-two years old." He said, then stopped, patiently waiting for her answer.

Geshi frowned slightly, and the smile vanished to be replaced by a saddened face of pain. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. In her heart, she had known this would be one of the first things her former teacher would ask once he had awoken. She knew of the biggest event that had happened, but she chose to refrain from mentioning it, at least until later.

"Well, how should I start…" Geshi began, trying to think of exactly what to tell him. "After I left Konoha, I traveled for about six months on my own on foot, with only the dogs. I stayed with the Country of Sand for a while, since we had an alliance with them at that time, but then I moved on. About two week's worth of walking outside of the Country of Sand, I found the Hidden Village of Stone, which is where I got this." She said, indicating her headband with its unique symbol.

"After about a year of relaxing and recovering, I went back into my training. The village is more centered around the arts of healing, and therefore has no shinobi above the level of Chuunin. To thank the village for caring for me, I decided to take on one of their rookie Chuunin 

as my subordinate, Uchiha Danko. I trained him very hard, and entered him in the Jounin exams, but I did not accompany him. He passed, and he is not far behind me now."

"I continued to live in the Hidden Village of the Stone for eight years. After the first four years, I took on a part-time apprenticeship to the Village's head healer, Kyokan Sunako. She trained me almost non-stop, until I came to be almost her equal in skill and knowledge. Finally, I decided to take on a big 'project,' and I left the village to set up these hospital facilities in every country so that I can help those in need, no matter what alliance they may have."

"It's now been six years since I left the village, and I had been planning on returning, maybe permanently, after I made my stop here. But when I saw you last week, I knew I had to stay, at least to find out if it was you. At first I wasn't sure, that it could just be some other silver-haired Jounin from Konoha. But today, during that fight, when I saw you use your sharingan, I knew. So that brings me to where I am now." She concluded, taking in a deep breath from talking so much.

"An Uchiha? There was an Uchiha in that village? That's very interesting… But why did you wait a year before you started training again? And why did you go into the medical arts?" Kakashi asked, slightly bewildered. Of course, if the Uchiha boy known as Danko had arrived at any time within the last ten years or so, he would never have known of the clan tragedy, which brought another thought to the Jounin's mind. Geshi didn't know about the Uchiha clan tragedy, how nearly every living relative she had had been slaughtered. This now made three people on Kakashi's list of direct relatives to the clan, close enough that they had the name.

Geshi paused for a moment, thinking on the best way to answer his questions. He was watching her with both of his eyes, since he had not yet covered his sharingan. It would be difficult to lie to him for long, but she felt she couldn't tell him, at least not yet. "I was sick after traveling through a marsh, so I had to be treated very carefully. I had tripped and broken my leg, so I was immobile because of that as well. As for the medical arts, I began my training in that for the same reason I left Konoha." Geshi said, averting her gaze slightly, then looking back at her friend full in the face. She felt a twinge of regret, knowing she had lied to her teacher about the first question, and the suspicion in his eyes was obvious.

"I can tell you were holding something back, or flat out lying about the first question, but I won't pry. It is your choice whether you tell me or not. However, I am a bit confused as to your answer to the second question." Kakashi said, the slight suspicion lingering in his eyes for only a second more.

"If you remember, when I left, I said that I couldn't stand to see the ones I loved in pain. It made me feel helpless and completely useless. I took up healing as my way of learning to help those in pain. Now I face the injured with confidence that I can treat them." She explained, with a hint of her ever-so-familiar defiance in her eyes. Kakashi had not seen the expression in so long, he had to smile. There was no doubt about it: she was definitely his student.

"So you really fixed me up here, I see. On another subject, did you happen to see what happened to my students? There's a blond boy, a black haired boy, and a girl with pink hair. Do you know if they got away safely?" The man asked, suddenly feeling a pang of worry for his students. He swore, if something had happened to them like what had happened to Pachi and 

Centuro, he would never teach again. But for now, he listened intently, hoping that they were okay.

"The boy, Uzumaki Naruto, is outside this room in the hallway. He was not far away, but well hidden. The other two, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, ran off together in the opposite direction. I'll be looking for them tomorrow." Geshi explained gently. She had to smile when the Jounin's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Naruto is here? He's not dead? That's wonderful! Can he come in?" Kakashi asked, full of enthusiasm and energy. He was so relieved that at least one of his students was fine. He couldn't wait to see the energetic Chuunin again.

"Yes, he's fine. I'll bring him in." Geshi said, smiling and standing up. When she was almost at the doorknob, her face turned serious, and she looked back at Kakashi. "About the first question, Kakashi. I'll be telling you the real answer later tonight." She said solemnly. And with that, she opened the door and stepped into the hall, where an eager student was waiting to hear from his teacher.

_What, do I have to say it every time? DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. End of conversation. I wish I did, though. XD_


	4. Secrets Are Revealed

"Kakashi-sensei!" The yellow haired Chuunin shouted in joy as he burst into the room, smiling broadly. He was thrilled that his teacher was in good health after the nasty beating he got from the two sand nin. He ran to the side of the floor mat where the silver-haired Jounin was resting, and plopped down on the floor. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?" He asked anxiously, suddenly concerned about the welfare of his sensei.

"Yes, Naruto, I'm fine, mostly thanks to Geshi here." The Jounin said, returning the smile to his student. He noticed his student's slight confusion, and decided to take a guess at what he was thinking. "I know Geshi from fifteen years ago, by the way, not long before you were born." He continued, thinking madly of how to explain the complicated relationship to his subordinate.

"Wait, but how? Weren't you already a Jounin by then…?" Naruto asked, slightly confused. He knew his teacher had become an elite Jounin and ANBU member at a very young age, but it didn't add up. She would have been a Genin at that time, so how the hell did they know each other?

"Well…" Kakashi began, sighing. He had known all along that this would come out eventually, "Geshi and her two friends, Pachi and Centuro, were my students. In fact, they were my first students. I started teaching them when I was thirteen years old, as Konoha's youngest Jounin and ANBU member." He said. He braced himself slightly, waiting for Naruto's reaction to the discovery.

"WHAT?! But I thought me, Sakura and Sasuke were your first students! We're the only ones in the records that say we passed the test and became your students…" The Chuunin exclaimed, somewhat baffled by this news.

"It is true that you are my first students on record, but they were my first ever students. In fact, they were on record, but they were later erased." The Jounin explained.

"Erased? But… Why?" Naruto asked, now even more confused. Why in the world would Kakashi-sensei want his first ever students erased from the records? It just didn't make any sense.

"Because they were killed." The Jounin said simply. "I had only been teaching them for a year when we were tricked into an A-rank mission in the Country of Sand. We were ambushed by two rogue Sand shinobi. I killed one of them, but the other had made a Suna Bunshin of himself and trapped me in a sand prison with it. I couldn't do anything, and they were killed…" He said, then stopped. It was a very painful memory, and he saw a small, silver tear roll off Geshi's face.

"That's horrible…" Naruto said softly, his face shocked and saddened. How could anyone be so cruel as to slaughter young Genin? It was just too horrific to think about, even though he had been in somewhat similar circumstances in the past.

"Even though they had died, we kept training, and the next year Geshi entered the Chuunin exams." Kakashi continued, relating the story to his student. He wondered briefly what the blue-eyed Chuunin's reaction would be, but he didn't have to think for long.

"WHAT?! BUT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!" The boy exclaimed, shocked. Genins had to pass the test in teams of three, and if her teammates had died, then how the hell was she able to enter?

"We made a special agreement with the Fourth, and he allowed her to enter on her own." The silver-haired Jounin explained, smiling slightly. He himself would have thought it was hard to believe if he hadn't been the one who had made the agreement.

"Obviously, I completed the exams and came out as the top Chuunin of that year. After I had been promoted, Kakashi-kun and I continued to complete missions together. We went on several A and S-ranked missions, because Yondaime-sama realized that I was a _very_ special Chuunin." Geshi said, continuing the story. She had fully recomposed herself after her initial sorrow at remembering her friends' deaths. She didn't want to brag. She just wanted to explain the story in as much detail as possible.

"We continued working that way for many years. One time we were sent on a mission to the Sound village, mostly to investigate a situation. We got trapped in an old factory and were nearly killed, but at the last moment, Geshi was able to subdue her attacker and knock out the ones who were pinning me down." Kakashi said, remembering the incident. He was thinking of another thing that had happened afterward, but he wasn't sure if he should tell Naruto. At least, not yet.

Geshi glanced at her former teacher with a somewhat questioning look in her eyes, but she noted that he was avoiding her gaze. She suspected that he didn't want to say anything else about them yet, so she remained silent.

"When Geshi turned sixteen, I entered her into the Jounin exams. Again, she passed with flying colors and came out as one of the top Jounin." Kakashi continued, avoiding Geshi's questioning glance. He knew that she knew he was avoiding the biggest subject, but it was only temporary, at least until Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura were found.

"We still worked together for another year, but I was getting, shall we say, stressed out. I possess a kekkei genkai, technically two, if you count this." Geshi said, tapping the location on her head protector where her left eye was. "But the one that was affecting me was the one from my clan, the Bokujin. To put it plainly, we have the bloodline limit ability to communicate fully with animals. It makes us sensitive, and it's actually quite unusual for a shinobi to come from our clan, since we are mostly peaceful."

"Anyway, our sensitivity applies to those close to us, such as friends, family, teachers, and the like. We can't stand it if they get hurt, which is why most of us don't become shinobi. In fact, that's probably the biggest reason that so many of my clan become healers and veterinarians, so that we can do something when someone is hurt. Finally, my friends getting hurt a lot got to me, especially after the mission where we both almost died."

"I left Konoha when I was seventeen years old, and traveled for about six months, until I became injured and was found by some people from a town called the Hidden Village of the Stone. I lived there for eight years, where I trained more in the ninja arts, and even took on a student. In the village, they don't have many shinobi, because they are similar to my own clan. Mostly they have healers, so all of their ninja had not surpassed the level of Chuunin. That was why I took on a student, so that the village could have some decent protection if they ever fell under attack. After about two years of training, I began learning from the village's most skilled 

healer." She went on, explaining the situation. "Finally, I came here about a month ago, because I knew about how bad the situation was. When I saw you arriving four days ago, at first I couldn't believe it. After all, I'd had no idea if you were even still alive, Kakashi." Geshi finished, smiling slightly.

The light was fading from the small room, and the kunoichi glanced out the tiny glass window to judge the location of the sun. "Well, it's getting late, and it's going to be dark soon. Naruto, you can sleep in the room next door, seeing as it has a bed. I will be staying here in case Kakashi needs anything during the night. Tomorrow, I shall search for your comrades." Geshi said, standing up.

The blue-eyed Chuunin nodded and stood up, his face set in deep concentration. He was still absorbing all this information as Geshi opened the door for him and pointed him in the direction of his room. There was so much to take in; Just the fact that Kakashi-sensei had had a student in the past was a shock to him. The fact that they had worked so well together was a whole new level. He had known about the Bokujin clan in Konoha, and he knew that they had something special with animals, but he'd never actually met someone from their clan until now, and she wasn't even a citizen of Konoha anymore.

When the door had closed behind the boy, Geshi turned to a small supply closet in a corner of the small room, pulled open the double doors, and extracted a sleeping mat from the jumble of items within. She stood at a place not too close but not too far from where Kakashi lay, then flattened out the mat on the floor.

"He's the Fourth's son, isn't he?" Geshi asked, glancing at her former teacher for a brief moment before turning around again. "Don't try lying to me. I can see it in him as plain as day." She said, grinning slightly.

Kakashi found himself grinning as well. Of all the things about her, the one thing that always made him look twice was her keen perception of detail and sharp eye. It was nearly impossible to lie to her, since she could always tell, so he nodded.

"I thought so. He looks so much like Minato-sama, but he has a bit more of his mother's personality." Geshi said, smiling and thinking of the blue-eyed Chuunin. He really did look like his father, she thought, remembering the handsome young Hokage. They were very similar in appearance, with yellow hair and blue eyes.

In the now nearly pitch black room, Geshi changed into her pajamas, and crawled into the blankets on the sleeping mat. Suddenly she rolled over so that she could see the outline of her friend in the moonlight. "About the first question…" She started, her eyes shifting nervously.

When he heard her speak, Kakashi rolled over carefully and looked with his critical, one-eyed gaze at her face in the dark. He could tell from her voice that she was nervous, and holding back a bit.

"When I left Konoha…" She continued, her voice faltering. It was obvious that she was a bit stressed out, but determined to speak. "I… I was…" Geshi tried, failing to voice her words. She closed her eyes tightly, angry at herself for not being able to form a proper sentence. She had been thinking ever since she left on how to tell him, but now that he was here, she found herself unable to do so.

"Go on. It's okay." Kakashi said gently, his gaze softening to show his acceptance. At the same time, however, he was feeling very apprehensive. Geshi was _never_ nervous like this. What she was trying to say must be something very important, since she was usually so calm and confident.

The kunoichi was yelling at herself inside her head, annoyed at the fact that she was having such a hard time. Finally she took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, finishing with a slight sound that almost resembled a cat hissing. "When I left Konoha fifteen years ago, I was two-months pregnant." She finally said. There. It was out. The secret she had been keeping since before she even left the town.

Her words were met with silence as Kakashi stared at her with wide-eyed shock. _Pregnant? How could she have been pregnant?_ The Jounin thought, his mind racing. He was thinking hard, back to the time when Geshi was still in Konoha, then he remembered, and his thoughts stopped cold.

"Remember how I said I had been traveling for six months, then I rested for a year before training again? Well, I was taking care of our daughter." Geshi said slowly, remembering how she had come to the village and had her child.

"Daughter? So it's a girl? And you said you left the village six years ago… So that would make her fourteen?" Kakashi asked, his thoughts beginning to swirl again. It was shocking for him; he hadn't even known she was pregnant, and now he knew he had a daughter…

"Yes, she is fourteen. Her name is Bokujin Kani, since there was only one person in the entire village who knew who the father was. She has hair like mine, but thicker and a bit wavy, 

but it's silver, like yours. She also has brown eyes, like me, and she has the Sharingan in her left eye, too. It had just started to show up right before I left. She speaks every language I do, Felus, Canus, Equus, and even Ursus. She seems to have a bit of a temper like me, but her personality reflects yours more." Geshi said, smiling at the last part. She couldn't help remembering the many times her daughter had reminded her of Kakashi.

"By now I think she'll be a Chuunin, since she had just begun being taught by her sensei with her team when I left." She continued, thinking of the Jounin she had trained that was now teaching her daughter, then calling to mind the other members of her team. "Her teacher is actually the boy I taught, although he isn't a boy anymore!" She said, laughing slightly.

"She's a Chuunin already? Well, I guess it's actually a pretty good age, but she'd have to be extremely skilled…" Kakashi said, a bit surprised to hear this. After all this time, without knowing it, he had had a child, and a daughter at that.

"Oh, don't doubt her when it comes to skill! She was already coming close to your level when you started training me when I left the village. She has the lightning chakra type, like you, and she was working on her own original jutsu with Danko as soon as she started training." Geshi said, her face turning serious as she related the strengths of her silver-haired child to the Jounin.

"Danko… You mentioned that name earlier, ne? Who is he again?" Kakashi asked, noticing a familiar ring to the name. He felt the name was important, but he couldn't lay his finger on it.

"Yes, Uchiha Danko. He was the boy I trained when I first came to the village. He became their first Jounin, and now he's a Tokubetsu Jounin. He was assigned to be Kani's sensei, of course along with her teammates, Utsuro Bentou and Abura Asaito." Geshi stated matter-of-factly. She smiled fondly as she remembered Bentou, the lost, innocent little boy from the Snow Country.

"Oh yes, that's right. But how did an Uchiha end up in the village? I never knew of an Uchiha Danko, anyways." Kakashi said thinking hard. As far as he knew, there had never been a missing Uchiha by the name of Danko, and he hadn't heard of him anywhere else…

"Technically, Danko is only half-Uchiha, on his father's side. His mother was from Sunagakure, and they met when his father was traveling. It was a one-time affair and, fearing rejection by her own village, Danko's mother ran away to come here. Unfortunately, she died in childbirth, so Danko was raised by the whole village. Interestingly enough, Danko inherited the full power of the sharingan, which gave me another reason to train him." Geshi said, starting to become drowsy.

"Anyways, I just thought I should tell you, especially since it's nearly impossible to keep secrets from you." Geshi said, rolling over and settling down for sleep. A smile tugged slightly at the corners of her mouth as she thought of her calm, intelligent daughter.

"Thank you…" Kakashi said, smiling slightly as well. He was happy to hear he had a daughter, and she sounded quite brilliant, to think that she was approaching his level at such a young age. "Geshi, I think before I return to Konoha, I'd like to meet her." Kakashi said, now fully smiling under his mask.

"That would be great." Geshi said quietly, smiling as well. "Good night, Kakashi-kun." Geshi said, and with that, she drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.

Hooray! I finally finished this chapter! –pants- Man, this one was a lot longer than I expected! Oh well, it was fun to write. I know a certain Konoha kunoichi will be very pleased with this. -pokes Moriko-chan- Heheh, anyway, so ta-da! The plot takes an interesting twist! I shall continue working immediately! And again, I unfortunately _do not_ own Naruto. –gigantic sigh- Hell, if I did, Minato would come back to life, there would be more NaruHina and SakuLee and NejiTen, and my oc's would actually exist, along with Moriko. Oh yeah, and I'd actually be able to stuff some emotion into Sai and brainwash Sasuke out of his emo-ness.

Oh, and another thing: I finally figured out the time frame for this! Yay! This plot takes place about six years after Shippuuden. Now that Oro and Itachi are out of the picture, Team Kakashi managed to drag Sasuke back and get him into some reform classes –cough- brainwashing! –cough-. It took me a while to figure this out because when I first started writing this fic I was in the middle of the Chuunin Exam Arc. Now I have read all the way through the manga and the current Anime, so I'm up-to-date. Oh yeah, and if you're wondering where the hell Sai is in all of this, he's back in Konoha doing some simple missions to teach him some emotion. :)


	5. Journey Through Kazekuni

Kakashi awoke in the early morning as the mist-filtered sunlight danced across his face. At first, his mind reeled as he couldn't remember where he was. Then, all the events of the previous day came rushing back, and he twisted his head to see an empty mat where Geshi had been sleeping. Turning his head the other way, he discovered a note on the floor next to his face.

Carefully moving his uninjured arm to pick up the note, he brought it to his face to read what it said.

'_Dear Kakashi-kun,_

_I have gone out with the dogs to the Sunagakure market for breakfast. When I return, we shall eat together with Naruto-san, and then I shall go and search for the other two Chuunin._

_-Geshi'_

Kakashi was slightly worried at first, remembering the attack from the day before, but then he smiled to himself, knowing that Geshi, with her dogs, would be perfectly able to handle herself. At the same time, he was surprised. Every time they had gone on traveling missions together, he had always woken up first, because Geshi was _not_ a morning person. So, he blamed it on his injury, and the fact that Geshi might have changed over the past fifteen years, at least a little bit.

It was then that Kakashi found himself thinking of the dogs he had seen in the room the day before. They certainly looked like Sora and Hoshi, the dogs she had left Konoha with, since they had the same colors and were obviously the same breed. But if they were Sora and Hoshi, they would be at least fifteen years old, which Kakashi knew was far past the life expectancy for the breed, Australian Shepherds. And besides, these dogs seemed far too young and energetic to be over fifteen years old. Plus, they were slightly different, in the fact that Sora had been a very dark blue merle and with a rather 

cobby and short build, where as this one was a very pale, powder blue merle with a longer body and much taller, with lanky legs. Also, Hoshi had been more of a cinnamon red tri, with one blue eye and one brown, where as this one was a dark liver red tri, with two brown eyes.

Kakashi finally came to the conclusion that the dogs could not possibly be Sora and Hoshi, for they were far too different. Just as he was concluding his musings, he heard the click of the door being unlocked by chakra, and decided to sit himself up so that he looked somewhat more presentable. With a few final clicks and one loud _ka-thunk_, the door opened to reveal Geshi walking in, carrying trays of food, and being accompanied by none other than the dogs and Kakashi's own favorite rambunctious Chuunin.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Kakashi-kun," Geshi said, smiling warmly as she moved to sit down with the trays of food.

"Ohayo, Geshi-chan," Kakashi returned the greeting, also smiling.

"Yo, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto greeted, giving a little 'peace' sign with his hand while showing one of his signature grins.

When they had both sat comfortably on the ground, Geshi proceeded to hand out the trays.

All three chorused an "Itadakimasu!" as they grabbed their chopsticks and began to devour their food.

Geshi, who was thoroughly enjoying her rice balls, was interrupted in her meal by a large black nose poking her in the elbow, followed by two big, innocent blue eyes staring at her.

"Hey, you know better than that! Both of you know perfectly well that the puppy face never works on me, and that begging will get you absolutely nothing. Now go, or I won't give you the beef heart until _after_ we work on training." Geshi said sternly, pushing away the persistent herding dog's face. Meanwhile, both Kakashi and Naruto had paused in their meal to watch the exchange with somewhat amused looks.

"You're the same as always, Geshi, speaking to them like they were just another normal person. They are dogs, don't forget." Kakashi remarked, chuckling a bit.

"Yes, but they _are_ just like normal people when you can understand everything they do and say just as though they were talking." Geshi retorted coolly, reminding Kakashi of her kekkei genkai. "For you it would be just like talking to say, a ten-year-old." She continued, then proceeded to continue eating her breakfast.

After an hour of eating and idle chatter, Geshi left the yellow-haired teen and his former Sensei to go and search for the two missing Konoha Chuunin. Motioning her dogs to follow her, Geshi exited the building and pulled the mask back up on her face, preventing any dust from getting into her lungs.

Now that she was among the trees, Geshi knew she could really start moving, and sprung up to a branch. As soon as she felt the bark connect with her navy blue zori, she pushed off towards the next branch, and repeated the process, until she was nothing but a blur moving among the trees; her dogs following close behind on the ground below, running at breakneck speed.

Soon the forest thinned, which was to be expected in the Wind country, where large amounts of trees were uncommon. Finally Geshi leaped down onto the sandy ground, bracing herself with one hand while glaring critically at the dunes that surrounded her with the single visible eye. She stood up and began running, ninja style, toward the area she remembered the fight had been the previous day.

Not long after beginning her mad dash over the sand, Geshi again found the tree she had hidden in while observing the conflict, and moved to stand at its base. Looking around, she spotted the patch of gorse she had seen the Chuunin disappear into, and dove through it, searching the ground intently. She smirked when she found what she was looking for, and scanned the horizon. Without turning her head, she gave a sharp bark, and immediately the red herding dog known as Kashou came to her side.

"Kashou, find it. Search." Geshi said without moving her head in the slightest, while pointing to the set of footprints on the ground, then moving to point in the direction they were going. After all, Kashou had trained and titled in the tracking discipline. Geshi stood back as she watched the red tri Aussie begin trotting forward with a confident gleam in her eyes, pausing every few minutes to sniff the ground, then continuing on.

By the time the sun had reached it's zenith, a hot wind was blowing across the burning desert, the blazing sun scorching the three figures trudging across the sand. Geshi lowered the filtering mask temporarily to gulp down the water in her traveling canteen, then bent over to pour some in the bowl for her dogs, which they gulped down thankfully. The group had been moving for well over four hours, and Geshi was beginning to wonder if the pair of teenagers had really disappeared, or if Kashou had been mistaken.

"Geshi-shishou, please don't doubt my abilities. I know it seems like they have disappeared, but I can still detect their presence, and judging by their scent, they were traveling by night as well. Please be patient, we aren't very far now." Kashou barked, her statement also conveyed by flicks of her ears, blinking, and slight movements of her posture.

"I know, Kashou. I'm sorry to doubt you. It's just very hot and I am getting tired. I'm glad to hear that we are gaining on them." Geshi replied, slouching her shoulders slightly and softening her gaze as 

she looked at Kashou, showing her apology. She then fell silent as she continued in her walking across the desert, ignoring the slight protests from her feet, which were now sore from the non-stop walking over hot sand.

Several minutes later, Geshi stopped and crouched down, her hands tracing the patterns in the sand as she frowned at them. Taikai and Kashou came up next to her, and their faces mirrored her concern as her hand stopped it's drifting over a particular spot on the ground. There were footprints all over the area, though they seemed to only be made by two sets of feet. At first, they were both normal, but after one set scuffed over a rock that had been hidden in the sand, lots of marks appeared, indicating that one person had tripped.

It seemed like a large scuffle ensued, with the person who had tripped being in great pain, therefore thrashing, and the uninjured person rushing around frantically. Geshi's frown deepened, her face etched in great concern, and her dogs knew why. _Blood_. That one simple word that meant so much: death, injury, pain, and danger.

Standing up, Geshi followed the path of the footprints with her eyes, her mouth set in a grim line of determination as she began walking again, the small trail of blood drops haunting her with every other step. Without shifting her gaze even in the slightest, Geshi reached back and extracted a white bag with red hiragana on it from her lightweight traveling backpack, clutching it tightly by the handle while continuing in her purposeful walk over the burning sand.

After another half hour or so of walking, Geshi came upon on a small clump of bushes that were quite tall, despite the wind. Glancing with a questioning look at Kashou, her thoughts were confirmed by a nod from the red herding dog, so she pulled down her mask and fixed her hitae-ate to make sure 

everything was ready. Judging by the way the footprints were patterned and the amount of dried blood, someone was definitely hurt, and they were definitely in the bushes.

Taking one final deep breath, Geshi parted the branches and stepped into the shelter of plants, signaling her dogs to stay back while she went in, to make her seem less threatening. She was greeted by a gasp of surprise, and when she rounded a corner in the maze of foliage, she came into an open space in the center where she found a pink-haired kunoichi standing protectively in front of a black haired boy who lay on the ground. The kunoichi was holding two kunai threateningly, aiming at Geshi's head if she tried any sudden moves. Meanwhile, the boy, who was obviously injured, just glared at her from his place on the ground.

Experienced with the kind of situation, Geshi made no movements forward or backwards. Instead she simply bowed a bit in greeting to the pair of Chuunin, then gave a kind of two-fingered salute.

"Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke?" She said simply, immediately recognizing the two from the previous day.

"Yes… How do you know our names? Who are you?" Sakura asked, her dangerous expression replaced by one of slight shock and confusion, though her hand hadn't even twitched out of her aiming line for Geshi's skull.

"My name is Bokujin Geshi. I am a trained medical shinobi, and I came here to find you. Your teammate, Uzumaki Naruto, and your former sensei, Hatake Kakashi, are safe back at my temporary hospital. I've come to take you back to them, and to treat any injuries you may have sustained." Geshi stated simply, while looking directly at Sasuke while she said the last bit.

Slowly, Sakura lowered the kunai she had in position, and her face now displayed deep concern as she glanced at her teammate. Sasuke attempted to sit up, but winced and bit his lip in an effort not to display emotions when his left leg was jostled, and Sakura pushed him back down, glaring at him not to try moving. The raven-haired Uchiha simply gave his standard glare back.

"So what's the problem with his leg?" Geshi asked, directing the question at the younger medical Kunoichi. Her keen eyes hadn't missed the Uchiha's poorly masked pain, and her gaze was now flicking methodically back and forth between the pink haired girl and the silent boy's leg.

"Well, he tripped over a rock and broke his ankle. He was scraped up too, but my medical ninjutsu could only heal the wounds. I can't set broken bones with it, so he can't walk." Sakura said, a bit surprised that this stranger had noticed the problem so quickly.

Geshi nodded sharply, already running a treatment plan through her head. She took two steps forward. "I can treat him. All I need is for you to move over there," Geshi said, nodding her head towards an open space at Sasuke's head "And I need to call my dogs in." She finished, glancing at Sakura in a silent question of permission.

Sakura nodded in acceptance and moved to crouch at the place by her friend's head that Geshi had indicated, though she was a still a bit cautious of this newcomer. _Did she say dogs?_ Sakura thought as she watched the older kunoichi position herself by Sasuke's leg. Her thoughts were confirmed when Geshi gave a sharp whistle, and two stock-type dogs trotted into the clearing.

Geshi signaled with her hands, and her dogs stationed themselves a few feet away. Taikai was watching her intently, while Kashou's gaze shifted regularly between her master and the pink-haired girl. Geshi closed her eyes in concentration, gently placing the index and middle fingers of both her hands on Sasuke's ankle. "Rentogen!" She whispered, and a swell of blue chakra coursed into her patient's leg. In 

her mind, Geshi could see the clean break in Sasuke's bone. Using the white-hot chakra 'glue,' Geshi fitted the pieces of bone back together and held them in place with a coating of the cement-like chakra, then stopped sending energy to it, allowing it to cool and harden like a crown over the broken bone.

Geshi opened her eyes and stood up, a satisfied grin on her face. "There. That'll keep everything in place until the bone heals. You should be able to walk just fine now." She informed the Uchiha, stepping back and holding out her hand to help him stand up.

"Hn." Was Sasuke's only reply as he took Geshi's offered assistance and stood up, though Geshi could have sworn she heard a quieter 'arigato' leave the Chuunin's lips.

"Well then, we should be heading back. It's a long trip to get to my facilities, unless you two know a teleportation jutsu." Geshi said, releasing Sasuke's hand and turning to lead the way out of the bushes as her dogs stood up to follow her.

In answer, both Chuunin shook their heads, and fell into step behind Geshi as they began the long journey back across the sand of Kazekuni.

* * *

Bwahahaha! I finally finished chapter five! I know, I'm horrible and I take forever to update. Nee-chan and anyone on FF will tell you that too. I'm really bad at updating regularly. Please don't kill me. XX I love writing as an author, but I also like doing artsy stuff a bit more, and I can be the world's largest procrastinator sometimes, so I'm truly sorry.

ANYWAYS this was a fun chapter to write, and I think it was my longest one yet. I know it went over 8 pages, but I have yet to do the final word count... I really liked this chapter because now you finally get to see what it's like for Geshi to be able to talk to her dogs! And yeah, the thing Taikai does is what his real-life form does to me all the time. Geshi says beef heart because her dogs are raw fed, and therefor get a raw meat diet. Beef heart is probably one of the best things you can give a dog. And yes, the conversations Geshi will be having with the animals throughout this fic and any sequels are similar to those that I have with animals I know in real life.

And yeah, in this chapter, we finally get to see Sakura and Sasuke again! Whee! Just keep in mind that Sasuke has been 'reformed' (brainwashed XD) and therefore no longer has psychopathic homicidal murderer issues.

Okay, I know this is like, author's comments of doom, but here's the last note. I was actually gonna make this chapter even longer, but decided against it, since nee-chan would probably kill me if I didn't update soon. In the next chapter, Geshi, Sasuke, and Sakura will come back, Geshi will go out to train the dogs, and Kakashi will have a conversation with his former students about his and Geshi's real relationship.

Well, that's all for now! Sayoonara!

Geshi


	6. Training and Revelations

"We're back!" Geshi announced happily as she opened the door to Kakashi's room, leading Sasuke and Sakura behind her. Her gaze immediately fell upon Kakashi's smiling face, though it was barely noticeable beneath his mask. The early evening sun was casting a warm, orange glow about the small room, which was ever so slightly crowded with five people and two dogs.

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke!" Naruto shouted as he leapt up from where he was sitting next to Kakashi to hug his fellow teammates. He looked thoroughly overjoyed as he hugged Sakura tightly, then greeted Sasuke with a big grin and a hand shake.

"Konban wa, Sakura, Sasuke. I'm glad to see you are both fine." Kakashi said, smiling warmly, his eyes curved upwards in happiness.

"Konban wa, Kakashi-sensei. It's thanks to Geshi-san that we're allright now, though." Sakura said, also smiling.

"Well, as mutch as I would love to stay and chat, I need to go work the dogs. I'll be back by nightfall. Ja ne!" Geshi announced, and with that, she spun around the left the room, her dogs following close behind.

A brief awkward silence filled the room, during which Sakura and Sasuke observed the small hospital room Kakashi was recovering in. Meanwhile, Naruto and Kakashi were waiting for one of their teammates to say something. The tension was finally broken when the two newly arrived Chuunin moved to sit next to their comrade, while looking at their former sensei.

"So, Sensei," Sakura began "Who is Geshi-san? I mean, how does she know who you are?" She asked inquisitively. She had never heard of this woman before, and wanted to find out more about her. Though it was likely that Geshi knew Kakashi simply because of his title as the Copy Ninja, but she 

seemed to know even more about him than just a regular shinobi from another village, like she had known him personally.

Then there was also the matter of her being a shinobi. Sakura hadn't recognized the strange symbol on Geshi's hitai-ate, and was confused by it. She had done a lot of traveling in her career as a kunoichi, and had seen many different villages and their respective symbols, but never before had she seen the three leaves forming a triangle. She found that she wanted to know everything about this strange, older kunoichi.

"Well… Geshi and I go way back, before any of you were even born." Kakashi began, thinking up the best way to start his retelling of Geshi's story. He had been so upset after she left, she had been erased from all publicly accessible files, and never once had he mentioned her existence to anyone who didn't know. As for the other Jounin of Konoha, it simply never came up for them, and they had made the decision not to mention her anyways, out of sympathy for Kakashi.

"To put it simply, Geshi and her two friends, Pachi and Centuro, were my first students. Ever." Kakashi said, smiling to add effect to his odd statement.

"Wait, but… I thought we were your first students, sensei. The files in the library said that you had no other subordinates before our team." Sakura said, a confused expression knotting her eyebrows. Sasuke continued to simply sit silently, seemingly unaffected, though he allowed a trace of surprise to cross his almost always emotionless face.

"In a way, it is true. You were my first team on record. But Geshi and her friends were my first team." Kakashi stated simply, scenes from the old Team Kakashi, with the younger, innocent Geshi, and her two comrades still alive, playing through his mind; But the flashbacks came to a screeching halt after he was reminded of _that_ mission, and his expression shifted ever so slightly to one of sadness.

"I don't understand. I saw the files when I was in Tsunade-sama's office, and the only team on record to have been trained by you was our team. What happened to their records?" Sakura stated, still confused. Why would the students of one of Konoha's most skilled Jounins never be recorded?

"They were killed. Pachi and Centuro were both murdered on a mission when they were eleven years old. All traces of their existence as Kakashi-sensei's students vanished. They were erased from the records." Naruto said solemnly. Now that he knew what he thought to be the full story of Geshi being Kakashi's student, he felt the same amount of sympathy and sadness as anyone else in Konohagakure who could remember the event.

Sakura's eyes were wide, her mouth open slightly in shock and horror. For once, Sasuke forgot about his emotional barrier as he showed the same amount of surprise as his pink-haired teammate. Silence filled the room as Sasuke and Sakura absorbed this new information. Naruto was still sad, his eyes downcast at the floor, while Kakashi simply stared out the window, seeming to be lost in memories.

* * *

Geshi closed the large double doors of her facility with a muffled _"whump"_ as they thunked shut. She sighed deeply while leaning back against the oak surface and closed her eyes. It had been so long, and now that they were together again, Geshi's emotions were finally catching up with her. She was happy that she had finally found Kakashi again, but confused as to what to do. It had been fifteen years, and so much had happened, the biggest one being that they now had a daughter.

Deep down, beneath her raging turmoil of thoughts and worries, Geshi found that she still loved him, and always would, no matter what happened. Realizing this, she reached up and opened one of the small compartments in her Jounin vest that could be used for storing scrolls or other small tools. When 

she unzipped the small flap, a small, round piece of metal fell into her hand. The steel was a bit warm from being in the thick padding of the vest, but it felt cool in Geshi's palm compared to the temperature of the air in Kazekuni.

The tiny blue and purple gemstone embedded in the steel gleamed up at Geshi's face, reflecting the sunlight. Slowly, she rotated the small rounded piece of metal in her palm, looking at it from all directions, until she found the little inscription on the bottom: _"Together, Forever"_. She stared at the words for a few seconds, her heart aching, then she closed her eyes and clenched the ring tightly in her hand. Finally, she returned her sixteenth birthday present to the small compartment in her vest, and zipped it shut.

Pushing herself off the door, Geshi regained her composure, and walked with confidence in front of her dogs towards the large clearing she had designated as the training area. Upon arrival, Geshi moved to the center of the clearing and called over Kashou.

"We're doing herding work today, so you need to make some bunshins of yourself and I'll henge them." Geshi told the red tri Aussie. Nodding her head, Kashou gave a few quick, sharp barks, then placed her left front paw out farther than the rest, and dragged it in a half-circle in front of her. Taking her right front paw, she completed the circle, the drew an 'X' through it, and stood in the center of the ex. She barked once more, and with several poofs of smoke, four shadow clones of the red stock dog appeared.

Nodding approval, Geshi made a few quick hand seals, then tapped each dog bunshin on the head, effectively transforming them into sheep. Geshi picked up the long driving crook she used, and put Taikai in a down stay at one end of the clearing. Kashou was stationed farther away, amongst the trees. Geshi moved the sheep into position, then took a deep breath to start the training. She left the sheep 

where they were, going over a bit farther away, where she wouldn't interfere with the routine. Finally, it was time to begin.

"Walk up." Geshi said, her eyes never leaving Taikai's movement. He was going a bit fast as he approached the sheep, and they were getting nervous. Geshi decided she had to stop him, no matter how excited he was.

"Down!" Geshi said, commanding the blue dog to hit the brakes so as not to scare the sheep. Taikai, however, hadn't worked on stock for a while, and ignored Geshi's command, still trotting straight at the sheep. "Taikai, I said down!" Geshi commanded sharply, her trainer's voice dripping with dominance. At the tone of her voice, Taikai came to his senses and immediately hit the dirt, still watching the sheep, who had now stopped moving.

"Good. Come-bye." Geshi said, her commanding voice once again normal. She watched as the medium-sized herding dog proceeded in a clockwise circle around the group of sheep. He was doing well, now that he had received a reality check, and was moving the sheep successfully behind the small line of bushes that Geshi had established as an obstacle.

Everything was running smoothly until Taikai got a bit excited and moved in very close to the sheep, causing them to veer off course. Geshi frowned at her dog's excitability, then reminded herself that he hadn't been on sheep in several months, and blamed herself. "Get off, Taikai. Steady." She said, and Taikai moved slowly away from the sheep, causing them to settle in place. "Steady. Away to me." Geshi commanded, pleased that he was listening to her, and she watched him move slowly around the outside in a counterclockwise direction.

"Walk up. Take 'er time." Geshi said, instructing him to go to the sheep slowly. Soon the sheep were back moving in the right direction, and before long they were going through the gate into the 

exhaust pen, with Taikai still staring hard and steady at the sheep. Geshi closed the gate to the pen, but Taikai didn't quite understand, and started whining to get at the sheep.

"Taikai! That will do!" Geshi commanded the blue merle, annoyed with his whines. Taikai immediately stopped his whining and seemed to completely forget the sheep as the intense gaze left his eyes and instead he began panting, making him look like he was smiling. He lifted his front paw and pawed at Geshi's leg, asking for attention. "Yes, I love you too, yukai-mentsu." Geshi said while smiling and scratching the blue merle on the head.

* * *

"But, then what happened?" Sakura asked, now intent on hearing the rest of the story. She had been tolf of how Geshi's teammates had died, and how she had passed the Chuunin exams, and then Jounin exams, as one of the top competitors. She was eager to find out more, since it seemed that Geshi had such an interesting history. She and Kakashi had worked so well together, like partners in a two-person team, completing missions together without flaw. The fact that they had both been in the ANBU also contributed to Sakura's intrigue, since Geshi seemed to be so… So… Perfect.

"She left." Kakashi said simply, his face unchanged. He had been watching Geshi working with Taikai on the sheep for the past ten minutes, though he had no idea where she'd gotten the sheep from. He turned back to face Sakura now, his expression still solid and flat, as his former student's face twisted itself into a look of shock and surprise.

"She left?! But… Why? She was doing so well! _Both_ of you were doing so well! Why the hell would she leave?!" Sakura almost yelled, quite confused. Why on earth would Geshi leave if she was doing such a fantastic job as a shinobi of Konoha.

"She has a Kekkei Genkai, besides the Sharingan. Her ability comes from her main clan inheritance, the Bokujin. Sasuke, you know a bit about them, right?" Kakashi asked his Uchiha student. He knew the clans of Konoha were close in keeping updated to each other's conditions.

"Hn. Yeah. They're animal communicators, like the Inuzuka, but with more than just dogs. They can talk to other animals too, like bears, birds, fish, and others." Sasuke said in his 'I'm-so-smart-I-can-use-a-monotone-and-still-sound-cool' voice. Luckily for him, Sakura was completely over her fangirl-like obsession with him. If she hadn't been, she probably would have squealed and said "Sasuke-kun!" about five hundred times before shutting up.

"You're right. They have the ability to communicate with animals. Everyone in the Bokujin clan can speak to dogs, but early on in their history, the clan members began to refine their skills. Now every individual member of the Bokujin clan can speak to a specific species of animal or more, along with Canus, the dog's language. The usual number of languages is usually two to three, including Canus, but Geshi managed to inherit four languages." Kakashi said, trying to think of ways to shorten his long explanation of bloodlines and languages.

"This ability is extremely useful for gathering information, as well as many other things, but it comes with a price. Everyone in the Bokujin clan is extremely, shall we say, sensitive towards anyone they have even a decent friendly relationship with. If anyone they are friends with gets hurt, it hurts them about ten times more than it would a normal person. If the person who gets injured or dies is very close to them, their pain can even physically scar them to serve as a constant reminder about those who have been hurt." Kakashi said, trying his best to explain the complicated details of the unique bloodline limit.

"For this reason, it is extremely rare for anyone in the Bokujin clan to become a shinobi, since the job involves people getting hurt. Instead, most of the clan members join a medical squad or become veterinarians, so that they can help people that are hurt. The few members of the Bokujin clan who have become shinobi were extremely powerful, but they had to train hard and face the consequences when someone got hurt." Kakashi continued, trying his best to make his students understand the difficulties faced by the clan member.

"That must be really hard, but I still don't quite understand why she left, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said, now having an even greater respect for the brown-haired kunoichi.

"Well, I'll put it this way. The first fifteen years or so of Geshi's life were living hell for her. Her mother died of cancer when Geshi was only six months old, so she can't even remember her. Her father was killed when she was five years old. He died protecting her when they were walking in the woods and some Iwanin ambushed them. The ANBU eventually arrived to drive them out and killed most of them, but by that time it was too late. Geshi's best friends were killed when they were just eleven years old, and when she was fifteen she was attacked by a rogue ninja one night who tried to kill her." Kakashi said sadly, recalling all that he knew of Geshi's harsh life.

"She had been hurt so many times, and even though she was a fantastic kunoichi, she was becoming overly stressed out from the constant pain of seeing others get hurt. It was practically driving her mad, even though she managed to retain the small bit of sanity she had left for missions. How she did it, I may never know." Kakashi said, wincing as he remembered Geshi's pain.

"We were still working very well, but on one mission, she finally lost control, and the mission failed. She got extremely angry, to Ursus level. We were being attacked while escorting a King back to his country, and she killed them all. But, when she's that angry, her mind works on an instinctual level, 

and she can't really distinguish friend from foe. She helped by killing our attackers, but she couldn't really 'see' and went after us. She nearly killed the king, and managed to put this on me before she finally collapsed." Kakashi said, indicating a ragged scar a few inches long on his right arm, just below his ANBU tattoo.

"What?! But didn't she know it was you? And why did she collapse? And what do you mean by 'Ursus Level'?" Sakura asked, obviously confused. She was horrified to here that Geshi, who normally seemed so calm and collected, could attack and kill so many people in such a blind rage. Her eyes seemed to be drawn to the scar on her former sensei's arm. It looked like it had been made from a claw that had raked diagonally down his arm.

"Like I said, Geshi can speak four different languages. She speaks Felus, the language of cats; Canus, the language of dogs; Equus, the language of horses; and Ursus, the language of bears. Normally she uses these languages simply to communicate with the animals, but when she gets very mad, she will start automatically speaking the languages. First she will hiss and spit like an angry cat, which usually isn't too bad. Next she will start barking, growling, and snarling like a dog, which again isn't too bad, but it can give her deadly accuracy with anything she manages to pick up and throw. After Canus, she will start to snort, whinny, and squeal like a horse. At this point I suggest backing away, because she is very mad now and will kill or permanently disable any threat to her friends. Never make her mad beyond this point. When she reaches Equus, it's probably a good idea to have someone step in and stop her. If she isn't stopped, and becomes even more angry, she'll hit Ursus." Kakashi said with a visible shudder. The only time he had seen Geshi go Ursus was on that mission when she was seventeen, and it was truly scary.

"When she's in the Ursus level of rage, is there are people nearby, there is a 98 chance of fatalities. Geshi can't really think straight when she's in Ursus, and her mind works on a purely 

instinctual level. In her mind, everyone is a threat, and everyone is an enemy. The level of rage drives her to kill anyone she can, and it lends her an explosive burst of Chakra. Thankfully, it doesn't last too long, and she usually collapses and looses consciousness from exhaustion. The huge amount of Chakra spent or wasted takes a huge toll on her body, like the Sharingan can do to me. It can take her days to recover." Kakashi said, remembering how Geshi had been in the hospital for over a week after Kakashi had managed to drag her back to Konoha.

"That's awful! I feel so bad for her… It must be terrible to know you've hurt someone you love without really having any control over it." Sakura said, feeling very sympathetic to the former Konoha shinobi.

"After the mission failed, Geshi felt horrible, like she had disgraced Konoha. No one blamed her for what happened, but she had finally had enough stress. She got all her stuff, sold the apartment she had been living in, and left with her dogs, Sora and Hoshi. After a few years without hearing any news on her, I just thought she was dead." Kakashi finished his voice strained. It was hard to relive the time Geshi had left, as it had broken his heart. He had to remind himself that he was with her now, and that she wasn't dead after all.

Silence reigned in the small hospital room for several minutes as Kakashi's student absorbed this newest information. Even Naruto hadn't known all the details of Geshi's departure, so he and Sakura were both in a slight state of shock. Only Sasuke remained at least somewhat stable. Though the information had shocked him a bit as well, there was one thing that was nagging at his mind.

"Thank you for telling us, Kakashi-sensei, but it doesn't sound like you're telling us everything. What else happened?" The Uchiha asked, his black eyes seeming to bore into his former sensei's skull. 

He had caught the traces of emotion in the silver-haired Jounin's voice, but he couldn't quite place what it was.

"Sasuke…" Kakashi began, holding back a smile. He figured that either Naruto or Sasuke would realize something eventually, and he wasn't surprised. He had been waiting for the right time to tell them of he and Geshi's real relationship ever since he woke up under Geshi's care, and now he felt it even more important now that he knew he had a daughter.

"Do you remember, all those years ago, when you were only twelve years old, when you threatened to kill the person who I most loved? And I told you that no such person existed, because they had already been killed?" Kakashi asked his student. Naruto and Sakura had since heard of the conversation between Kakashi and Sasuke when Sasuke was still unstable and preparing to leave Konoha.

"Yeah, I remember it. What about it?" Sasuke asked, still speaking in his flat, monotonous voice, but intrigued all the same.

"Well, I was lying when I gave you my answer."

* * *

Wow! Two chapters in one week?! I must be on a role! Either that, or the world will end vey soon. O.O This almost never happens, me updating so quickly. And now I think this chapter might be the longest, since it has over eleven pages. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter. And yeah, it's a semi-cliffy of doom, depending on how you view it. Heheh, we get to find out what Geshi's mysterious birthday present was! Aww, so sweet, and so pretty at the same time. And we get to take a look at how Geshi 

trains the dogs! Whee! Not to mention we get to find out a bit more about her past, and the complete, 100 reason why she left. So anyways, enjoy! And let's just hope this isn't a sign of the Apocalypse. O.o


	7. Singing and Sushi

"Alright, let's see if you can walk." Geshi said one day. Two weeks had passed since Sakura and Sasuke had been found, and Geshi decided it was time to check on the progress of Kakashi's injuries. She gripped his hand tightly in hers as she helped pull him up by his good arm, her legs positioned to create a triangle so as to brace herself.

With a grunt of effort, Kakashi managed to haul himself up, and stood leaning against Geshi for support while he waited to adjust to the sudden shift of position. He stood unsteadily for a moment, then righted himself and attempted a step forward. He smiled, as everything was going fine, but the expression was whipped off his face with the next step as he tripped over the corner of his sleeping roll.

The world moved in slow motion as Kakashi stared in horror at the ground rushing up to meet him. He closed his eyes, waiting for impact, but at the last second he felt strong, feminine arms holding him tightly, preventing him from hitting the floor. Slowly, Geshi helped Kakashi to stand up again, blushing slightly.

"Arigato, Geshi-chan." Kakashi said, smiling. '_Dammit. Why does she have to look so cute when she's blushing?'_ Kakashi thought, mentally slapping himself. This was _not_ the time to be staring at Geshi's face, when he had to concentrate on walking.

Meanwhile, Geshi was cursing herself in every language possible in her head, including the few words of Latin, Enlgish, and French that she knew. _'Tu es vacca obessus! What the hell is wrong with me?! I haven't blushed in years!'_ She thought angrily. She wasn't one to show weakness or emotion voluntarily, and she saw blushing as a revelation of emotions. In fact, she barely showed any emotions _period_. If she wasn't extremely close in relationship to someone, she would refuse to show anything but confidence and self-assurance.

Slowly, Geshi released her vice-like grip on Kakashi, and he took a few unsteady steps forward. Finally, when he had successfully moved about five feet away from Geshi on his own two feet, Kakashi turned around and grinned.

"Seems like you're doing pretty well. We can probably leave soon, but I think you should try these first." Geshi said, strolling over to the large cabinet and opening the doors. Somehow, she managed to pull out a pair of crutches without the entire contents of the cabinet exploding out.

Carefully, Geshi handed the crutches to Kakashi, and held onto his shoulder as he situated himself on the wooden stabilizers. She was pleased to see that her patient could now move even more easily. When he turned around again and came back towards her, Geshi offered her hand to help Kakashi sit down again, and rested the crutches against the wall.

"Anou… I think I'll go get some dinner." Geshi said, slightly uncomfortable as she turned around to leave. The incident when Kakashi nearly fell had made her nervous, and though she was cursing herself in every language she knew, she couldn't shake off her jittery feeling. She felt completely stupid, like she was a lovesick teenager within a hundred feet of her crush, which, of course, was not too far from the truth.

"Geshi," Kakashi said, causing the Kunoichi to freeze in mid-step. "I don't think I want to go back to Konoha yet. I want to go to your village." Kakashi said, grinning slightly. He knew he had hit a weak spot when he saw Geshi flinch oh so slightly. He was very intrigued to see how Geshi had been living all these years, and of course, he wanted to meet his daughter.

Geshi sighed slightly in defeat, knowing Kakashi had noticed. "Fine. You win. We'll leave tomorrow at sunrise. You can tell your students. I'm going to train." Geshi said, and with that she left the hospital building and breathed a deep sigh. She was happy that she was going to see her daughter again, after six years, but at the same time she was a bit worried about her return, with the visitors.

Kakashi grinned, his own little victory tune ringing in his ears. Over the past two weeks he had been aware of Geshi's uncertainty about bringing he and his students back to the village she had been living in, and he had pressed the subject multiple times, only to be rejected every time.

Once the happiness over his triumph passed, Kakashi's eyes took on a more peaceful look as he watched her outside the window, throwing shuriken at random targets while spinning seemingly effortlessly through the air. She was still so beautiful, Kakashi thought, and as his mind registered what he had been thinking, he came to the realization that he still loved her.

The next morning, as the moon began to sink below the horizon, Geshi was still fast asleep. She was _definitely_ still not a morning person, as Kakashi had discovered. The only way she had woken up so early to get breakfast on that first morning was by means of her so-called 'back-up alarm clock'.

She had wanted to get up early to get some food for the morning meal, and had therefore set the quiet little alarm on her bedside clock. When the alarm had gone off at six-thirty AM, Geshi had slammed her fist hard enough on the 'off' button to crack the plastic clock. Five minutes later, she was attacked by the 'second alarm'. Part of the pajama top she had worn to bed had moved up, exposing her lower back. Leave it to Taikai to have an extremely cold, wet nose to press against his owner's back to wake her up in the morning.

Kakashi, who had just woken up and dressed for the day's travel, decided it would be best to wake the Tokubetsu Jounin at that time. Tentatively, he shook Geshi's shoulder, squinting his eyes. He heard her groan and roll over, but he was careful not to open his eyes just yet. He knew from experience that a tired Geshi could produce a death glare capable of burning retinas.

"Geshi, it's time to get up." Kakashi said softly, but still he received no real response, just a faint moan of protest and something that sounded like 'Five more minutes…?' Finally, Kakashi had enough of just coaxing. It was time to use his secret technique that always worked when waking up his former student.

Kakashi gently made sure that Geshi's hair was out of the way, so that her ears were completely uncovered. Then, carefully hobbling to the other side of the room with his crutches, Kakashi cleared his throat. This trick worked every time the silver-haired Jounin couldn't wake his comrade. "Geshi-chan, it's morning. Let's work." He whispered almost inaudibly, his voice even more muffled by his mask.

Geshi sat bolt upright, her eyes wide open, and she was breathing quickly. Her head whipped in Kakashi's direction, her bright eyes staring straight at him as though to bore two identical holes through his head. "Dammit, Kakashi! You know how I react to that! You always say that and make me think I'm about to spring into action on a show day." Geshi said crossly, calming down slightly, though she still felt the adrenaline rush she got in the morning from anticipating a show.

"That's why I use it every time I need you up fast." Kakashi said, grinning in triumph under his mask, his visible eye curved upwards as an indication to his expression. Geshi, who had gotten up and was rolling up her sleeping mat, swung her head around to shoot the man a glare. Quickly, she stuffed the rolled-up mat in the storage cabinet, then grabbed Kakashi's as well and stuffed it in.

As Kakashi left the room to wake his three former students, Geshi pulled her trunk out from under the cabinet and popped it open. Quickly, she pulled out one of the many navy blue t-shirts with it's plain, yet decorative forest green triangles on it. She grabbed a comfortable pair of Jean-Capri s to wear, along with her green Jounin vest with it's red spiral on the back, one of her few remaining possessions from when she lived in Konohagakure.

Zipping up her vest, Geshi grabbed her hitae-ate from it's hook, and adjusted it to cover her right eye as she activated her sharingan. Just before leaving the room, she grabbed the mud brown mask that would cover her face to protect it from the dust blowing on the winds in Kazekuni.

About an hour later, as the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, five figures could be seen trudging across the sand. Two were female, while another was on crutches. They seemed to be moving at a steady, determined pace on a set course.

"How are you holding up, sensei?" Sakura asked seriously, the medic-nin side of her mind expressing it's concern. She was uncertain about the crutches and how sturdy they were, although she had come to trust Geshi over the past few weeks.

"Sakura, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Kakashi said in a voice that made his answer final, with no room for arguments. And so, the five people continued their trek without a sound, with only the sound of the wind and the soft _'fump'_ noise that was made every time someone took a step to ease the silence.

As night fell, and the stars began to glitter in the sky, Geshi called a halt to the traveling bunch of shinobi. "Alright. We can stop here for the night, and start up again before dawn." The kunoichi said as she pulled out a tightly wrapped bundle of cloth from her backpack, along with several metal stakes and a small hammer.

Naruto and Sakura did the same, while Sasuke began gathering as many rocks as he could find that were roughly the size of his fist. Soon he began to create a circle out of the stones, then proceeded to go and look for kindling, tinder, and logs to use to build a fire.

Soon there was a large fire burning in the stone circle, with the three tents set up around it. The first tent, a medium-sized orange one, was for Naruto and Sasuke. The second tent, which was a shade of dodger blue and much larger than the first, was for Geshi, Kakashi, and the dogs. The third and final tent was a small, red, one-person tent which Sakura would be using.

After a few minutes of searching, Geshi managed to find four thick, decently sized chunks of log to pull up around the fire circle. She also found several long, thin branches that could be used as skewers. She found a bush, and not just a tumbleweed, as was common in Kaze, and not just any bush.

The bush had raspberries on it, and they were perfectly ripe. Grabbing a basket from her travel pack, Geshi expertly picked as many of the red fruits as she could find by flashlight that would fit in the basket, which she then brought back to the fire circle. Finally, she passed around the branch skewers to each person, along with some chopped up sushi and rice balls she had had stored.

Geshi wasn't very much in the mood for raw meat that night, so instead she stabbed through several chunks of fish meat with her branch and proceeded to hold it over the fire while sitting on her log seat. When the fish was cooked to her satisfaction, the Jounin pulled it off her skewer stick and put it on her plate to marinate with a tiny bit of Wasabi. She grabbed a handful of raspberries and some rice balls as well to complete her meal.

For several minutes, the four traveling shinobi's meal was eaten in silence, until it became obvious that Sasuke and Naruto had silently challenged each other to an eating competition. Kakashi chuckled quietly, remembering a time when the two boys were just genin, doing the same thing in the wave country.

"Dear gods, do you two always fight?" Geshi asked exasperatedly, pausing with a berry halfway to her mouth. The two Konoha shinobi had been arguing on and off throughout the day.

"They've always been like this, I hate to say." Kakashi said, laughing at the two boys as they shot him a death glare.

"I won't lose, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto declared, horking down another large mouthful of sushi, his face turning red from lack of air.

"Like hell I'll let you win, dobe!" Sasuke retorted, proceeding to stuff his face full of rice, until he had a white sticky rice beard.

"Enough! You two are pathetic!" Geshi finally shouted, her eye visibly twitching in annoyance as she glared at the boys. She was fed up with the two hogging all the food, and it was only going to make them sick.

"But I wanna be better than Sasuke-teme!" Naruto protested after he swallowed a large mouthful of raw fish.

"And I can't let him think he's better than me." Sasuke declared, looking slightly more dignified than the orange ninja, but no less stupid.

"Shut it! You are both idiots! All you're doing is wasting food and making yourselves sick." Geshi spat, showing her well hidden angry side.

"But-" Both boys started, but Geshi cut them off.

"No! I've had enough of you two. You're fighting is childish. Now, I'm not going to take sides, but I'm going to sing a little song. It should help explain what happens when you challenge someone stronger than you." Geshi said, trying to force herself to calm down.

"What?" Both of the young Jounin said, there's faces confused.

But Geshi was already clearing her throat, she was going to sing. Everyone turned to look at the Tokubetsu Jounin in the fire light, and Geshi spoke.

_Now, somewhere in the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota_

_There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon, ah,_

_And one day his woman ran off with another guy,_

_He hit young Rocky in the eye._

_Rocky didn't like that. He said "I'm gonna get that boy."_

_So one day he walked into town and_

_Booked himself a room in the local saloon._

Both of Geshi's dogs turned to watch her as she finished the spoken introduction, and began to sing. The song had a very Western feel to it, but it was an older Western, instead of modern. Naruto's first thought was that it reminded him of one of those old Cowboy movies from America he used to watch.

_Rocky Raccoon_

_Checked into his room_

_Only to find Gideon's bible._

_Rocky had come_

_Equipped with a gun_

_To shoot off the legs of his rival._

_His rival it seems_

_Had broken his dreams_

_By stealing the girl of his fancy._

_Her name was Magill_

_And she called herself Lil_

_But everyone knew her as Nancy._

_Now she and her man_

_Who called himself Dan_

_Were in the next room at the hoedown_

_Rocky burst in_

_And grinning a grin_

_He said "Danny boy, this is a showdown."_

_But Daniel was hot_

_He drew first and shot_

_And Rocky collapsed in the corner._

_Yeaah._

_Now, the doctor came in_

_Stinking of gin_

_And proceeded to lie on the table._

_He said, "Rocky, you met your match."_

_And Rocky said, "Doc, it's only a scratch."_

"_And I'll be better, I'll be better_

_Doc as soon as I am able."_

_And now Rocky Raccoon_

_He fell back in his room_

_Only to find Gideon's bible._

_Gideon checked out_

_And he left it no doubt_

_To help with good Rocky's revival._

As Geshi finished her song, there was silence around the campsite. Kashou had crawled forward to rest her head on her shishou's knee, while Taikai lay across Geshi's feet. Finally, Naruto, being the loud-mouthed ninja he was, dared to break the silence.

"So… Which one of us is Danny and which one is Rocky?" He said, still confused, but no longer competitive after hearing the song.

"You missed the point completely. And besides, I already told you I wouldn't be taking sides." Geshi said, sighing in exasperation. "Anyway, we should be getting to bed." She announced, and with that, she got up from her log seat and went into her tent, closely followed by her dogs. Soon after, the sound of hungry canines crunching on raw chicken bones could be heard in the night.


End file.
